Representatives from the trade unions meet each year with the government to reach an agreement on a pay raise for public workers. During the third round of this year's collective bargaining meetings, the responsible minister announced that the government's offer would increase public workers' salaries by 4% in each half of 2016 and by 3% in each half of 2017. The government intended to give a one-time indemnity payment to public service workers if the inflation rate eclipses the rate of wage increase. However, unions rejected the offer and rebuked the minister's failure to listen to their objections to what they call small alms granted by the government. Later on in August, a deal was concluded. The collective agreement includes a wage raise of 6% for the first half of 2016 and 5% for the second half. In 2017, salaries will increase by 3% in the first six months and 4% in the second half of the year. However, two of the unions involved have rejected the deal.
English: http://www.todayszaman.com/anasayfa_govt-announces-deal-with-unions .
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The trade union-backed Nevin Economic Research Institute (Neri) examines in a paper low pay both in the context of the distribution of earnings within the income distribution and the distribution of hourly earnings across all employees. While the analysis in the paper focuses on the latter, the paper grounds that assessment within the context of earnings among all workers, both employees and the self-employed. As signs of economic recovery continue to emerge, issues relating to quality of life, living standards, the provision of public services and adequacy of income are returning to the policy sphere.
English: http://www.nerinstitute.net/download/pdf/earnings_and_lowpay_in_roi_neri .
Workers at a Canadian-run gold mine in northern Greece staged a counter-protest against its threatened closure, a day after scuffles broke out at a demonstration by activists opposed to the project. About 200 workers gathered at two sites in the scenic Halkidiki region, briefly blocking roads in protest at a government decision that Canadian Eldorado Gold said put all 2,000 jobs at the site at risk. The police arrested two union leaders who were charged with disrupting transportation and later on released.
English: http://business.financialpost.com/news/mining/workers-at-eldorado-gold-mine .
Trade union confederation SAK announced it was ready to join in tripartite negotiations for a `social contract' aimed at making business and industry more competitive. Earlier on, trade union confederation of salaried employees STTK and the white-collar academic trade union confederation Akava had announced that they were ready to take part in talks. Notwithstanding this positive attitude, the attempt to draft a social contract for the labour market failed. Both, the prime minister and the employers' associations called for longer working hours without any pay rises. The employers also proposed several other ways to cut pay. Besides, the government programme promises to fulfil one of the employers long time wishes, to remove legal obstacles for short fixed term employment. These positions blocked a deal with the trade unions.
English: http://heikkijokinen.info/en/trade-union-news-from-finland .
http://yle.fi/uutiset/sak_ready_for_talks_on_broad_labour_accord .
The trade union representing Groundforce's workers announced new strikes. It said the action could involve employees and human resource companies that work for it. The strike action is being staged in protest to the use of temporary workers, work hours and salaries. Groundforce provides services to over 150 airline companies at the airports in Lisbon, Porto, Funchal and Porto Santo. Earlier on ground handling baggage workers had organised a five-hour strike at Lisbon Portela airport on 31 July. The handlers protested against the privatisation in the sector and demanded a pay raise. The baggage handlers have not received any pay raise since 2008.
English: http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/groundforce-handlers-strike .
http://portuguese-american-journal.com/travel-alert-portuguese-baggage-handlers .
After a meeting between the transport minister and port worker unions broke down a second meeting has been scheduled to avoid industrial action at Cyprus' ports. The two parties will meet again to discuss the planned port privatisations, the transfer of port workers to the civil service, the new structure of the ports authority and the voluntary retirement scheme. Trade unions are not satisfied with the retirement scheme that is being implemented before ports are privatised. Members of three port trade unions are planning a two-day strike if their demands are not met. Workers at the port of Limassol went earlier on a 24-hour strike on citing lack of progress in the dialogue with the government. That strike ended as the government agreed to pressure the private investor to re-hire the employees and an extra €500,000 was reserved for compensations to the porters and their employees.
English: http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/cyprus-minister-tries .
http://cyprus-mail.com/2015/07/31/port-workers-call-off-industrial-action .
English: http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news .
The report (in French): http://extranet.unsa-education.com/Docs. [close]
Polish people working in Britain have organised their first ever migrant workers actions in the UK in two contrasting ways: some Polish workers planned to down tools in a daylong strike and head to a demonstration at Westminster, while others intended to donate their blood to the NHS in a gesture laden with historic symbolism. The protest, on 20 August, was the result of discussions on Polish internet forums by people angry at immigrants being blamed for Britain's economic problems.
English: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/20/polish-migrants-strike-blood .
https://www.facebook.com/events .
Workers at the federal asylum agency Fedasil have protested against the lack of sufficient staff. They stated they could no longer cope with the surging numbers of asylum seekers. The ACV trade union staged a protest action, using lemons to symbolise the workers' position: they have been squeezed out. Protesters also distributed water and cake to refugees. Quite soon after it became clear that their action was not ignored as the announcement followed that Fedasil wants to recruit 130 extra staff `as soon as possible'.
English: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/News .
Nurses are organising a wave of strike actions, with health workers staying away in protest at the lack of government proposals concerning their salaries. The trade unions organised three consecutive strikes across the country and continue with similar action in central and northern Portugal. The main demand is a revision of nurses' salaries, work contracts and overtime pay.
English: http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/nurses-launch-new-action .